Austin Rivers Gave A Thoughtful Explanation For Not Wanting Bronny To End Up Playing With LeBron

LeBron James has made it very clear that, aside from continuing to try and win championships, his last major goal as an NBA player is to play on the same team as his son, Bronny — and, possibly, Bryce as well.

It’s possible James will have that chance next year, as Bronny will be draft eligible this summer should he choose to enter the NBA after one season at USC. That isn’t a guarantee, as Bronny is playing just 20 minutes per game for the Trojans right now as he continues to work his way back after going into cardiac arrest this summer. Still, Bronny will eventually make his way into the Draft and LeBron is understandably excited about the prospects of playing with his son in the league.

However, not everyone is sold that will be the best thing for Bronny, even if a very cool family moment. Austin Rivers knows firsthand what it’s like to be the son of a prominent NBA figure, and he was on NBA Today on Monday to explain very thoughtfully why he doesn’t think playing with LeBron would be a positive for Bronny.

Rivers notes that after he ended up playing for Doc in L.A., he dealt with people telling him he didn’t belong in the league and was only there because of his dad even though he’d been a top recruit out of high school and a lottery pick in the Draft out of Duke. He notes that Bronny doesn’t quite have that same resume, and he’ll deal with that tenfold given LeBron’s stature in the league. He thinks Bronny would be best served playing for a contender, where his basketball IQ and skillset could be maximized in a smaller role, rather than being paired with his father and dealing with the added spotlight that would come with it.

LeBron (and likely Bronny) would obviously have a different perspective than Rivers, but he’s certainly not speaking on this from a place of ignorance. From his experience, he thinks Bronny would be best served carving out his own identity without being directly in his father’s shadow, even if that will always be something looming from a distance.